Arsenal ready to pounce on summer move for Barcelona midfielder

A big summer awaits for the Gunners

Arsene Wenger’s ears may have pricked up today with reports suggesting Barcelona’s Arda Turan could be available this summer, despite only joining the Catalan giants a year ago.

Even then, Turan had to wait until January to make his Barca debut due to the club’s transfer embargo, but he’s been consistently overlooked by Luis Enrique ever since.

Waiting behind Ivan Rakitic, Andreas Iniesta and Sergio Busquets at the Camp Nou has led to increased speculation that the Spanish side will look to cash in quickly having spent £25m on the 29-year-old last year.

Formerly a crucial cog at Atletico Madrid, Turan has stated in the past that Barcelona were his dream club, but a lack of game time has seen the reality play out rather differently.

The Turkish international has been linked with a number of clubs in China, but there’s little to suggest the midfielder would choose a move east if a suitable alternative could be sought in Europe.

That brings Arsenal into the mix, a club who need quality midfielders and are almost certainly playing Champions League football next year, while a Premier League title tilt can never be ruled out.

With a host of midfield men expected to depart the Emirates this season, Wenger needs numbers as well as quality, and is surely going to be much busier than he was last summer, when the Frenchman chose not to sign any outfield players.

Whether the Arsenal boss can justify laying out £25m on a 29-year-old remains to be seen, but if Barca are particularly keen to cash in, Wenger could get himself a cut-price deal.

The Gunners can secure a top-four spot this weekend, even a top-three, should they win at Manchester City.

Richard loves his sport, especially if it involves the sound of tyres screaming around a race track. He's not fussy though and his '90s Premier League nostalgia and knowledge of team nicknames is tough to match.